tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post3834655212082933040..comments2024-03-27T15:16:57.305-05:00Comments on F This Movie!: Heath Holland On: The Hobbit and Why It's Better Than You ThinkPatrick Bromleyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00771837625286775607noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-51804032167687685752013-01-26T09:33:39.959-06:002013-01-26T09:33:39.959-06:00I actually totally plan to do a Dolph Lundgren col...I actually totally plan to do a Dolph Lundgren column before too long. By the way, can we always refer to the dwarves from now on as the fat ginger one, the James Nesbit one and the one who hates green food? I'd also like to add "the one with the axe sticking out of his head."Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-31822981932061997832013-01-25T22:08:27.018-06:002013-01-25T22:08:27.018-06:00Thanks everyone...you are all great peeps to say s...Thanks everyone...you are all great peeps to say such nice things :-)Adam Riskenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-11540455972185458172013-01-25T17:58:50.211-06:002013-01-25T17:58:50.211-06:00I'm very happy to see that this column will be...I'm very happy to see that this column will be an ongoing concern. I was fairly underwhelmed by The Hobbit, but this has me champing at the proverbial bit to see it again. Your passion for it shows, and it's infectious. Thanks for this, and I can't wait to read more. As Brad L said above, it's exciting to see the F This Movie! family of contributors expanding (this goes for you too, Adam!) and everybody has been knocking it out of the park with their contributions. As a once-great man once said..."Welcome to the party, pal!"JPhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17867827164062216789noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-84195894380649362742013-01-25T16:12:49.081-06:002013-01-25T16:12:49.081-06:00As I said I’m familiar with the book, too, and don...As I said I’m familiar with the book, too, and don’t think Tolkien did a great deal to differentiate many of the dwarves from one another. In the film they all had different looks but beyond saying the fat ginger one, the James Nesbit one or that dwarf that hates green food, I didn’t think they really had a right lot to them. I did like the film by the way it’s just that that was the one thing you brought up that I disagreed with.<br /><br />Any chance you could do a column on Dolph Lundgren in the future, I remember discussing some of his recent straight to DVD films with you a while ago on here.Stuartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-42515480488046142922013-01-25T15:34:06.160-06:002013-01-25T15:34:06.160-06:00Am I Lando?! Please say I'm Lando. I got my Co...Am I Lando?! Please say I'm Lando. I got my Colt 45 and everything.<br /><br />"Well Well, what have we here? You truly do belong with us here among the clouds."Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-45988644690446018302013-01-25T15:31:27.283-06:002013-01-25T15:31:27.283-06:00Oh, and yes. I'm planning on making regular co...Oh, and yes. I'm planning on making regular contributions to the site. They will not all be about The Hobbit. In fact, it's time to be honest, I have not actually seen The Hobbit. But I did read the children's story book in Barnes and Noble. Seriously though, each installment should be my take on something from the world of movies. They will probably rarely be like this one, though. Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-47802197671801180542013-01-25T15:26:48.368-06:002013-01-25T15:26:48.368-06:00I'm not sure how much Del Toro brought. I'...I'm not sure how much Del Toro brought. I'll be really interested to see what we get to find out on the special features when the blu-ray comes out, though. I don't see a lot of Del Toro's signatures in the movie, but I see tons of PJ's. Not pajamas, but Peter Jackson. Maybe Del Toro and Jackson sat around eating Oreos and talking about what they wanted to do. I dunno.<br /><br />And yes, this is planned to be a regular column. I don't have much of a hook other than each installment will be me giving my thoughts on a movie related topic. NOTHING will be as personal as this column was, and I will promise you here and now I can't do this every week. The next one should be about one of those late nite Sy-Fy cable movies, just to take it to the other end of the spectrum. <br /><br />You've got quite a conspiracy built up around Robin Hood, almost of tne Beatles "Paul Is Dead" proportions. Did you know Heath really died in 1966 (Wednesday morning at 5 o'clock as the day begins) and Billy Shears had facial reconstruction surgery to look like him? If you listen to the last episode of F This Movie backwards you'll hear Patrick say "I buried Heath." <br /><br />Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-63830927005713728262013-01-25T15:19:45.973-06:002013-01-25T15:19:45.973-06:00I can see that the dwarves don't get a lot of ...I can see that the dwarves don't get a lot of individual screen time yet and can see how they could blend together. I didn't really have that problem, but it could me my connection to the book? Although I didn't think they had ANY individuality in the book. This is a big step up for me, and I think that they all had enough to do that you could tell them apart and notice quirks. But then, I also saw it multiple times. Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-12966740587461805812013-01-25T15:17:50.617-06:002013-01-25T15:17:50.617-06:00Thank you!Thank you!Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-66865239320272751372013-01-25T14:16:16.620-06:002013-01-25T14:16:16.620-06:00Heath, how much do you think Guillermo del Toro...Heath, how much do you think Guillermo del Toro's influence has to do with how well (perfect based on your thorough analysis) "The Hobbit" came out? I don't just mean the work he put into the movies and scripts before he left, but also (maybe?) what Peter Jackson and his team did to course-correct once del Toro left. Maybe del Toro was the obstacle to all these super-mega nerdy obsession with Tolkienesque detail (or its biggest proponent?) and, once he left, there was no stopping Jackson. Would "The Hobbit" be as perfect if Guillermo were at the helm, or is it because he's nowhere near it?<br /><br />BTW, I'm also the type of guy that writes a lot using parenthesis (see? :-P). I read Tolkien a lot when I was a little (so little that I've forgotten that I read "Lord of the Rings" books back in the day) but, apparently, the books' true lasting influence lives within me by the way I've adopted parenthesis in my everyday writing. I never really put these two things together until you wrote about it.<br /><br />Also, is 'Heath Holland Says...' a new semiregular feature on 'F This Movie'? Because if it is please clarify what exactly is the 'hook' (besides your opinion). Not every movie is "The Hobbit" or based on Tolkien, both of which lends themselves to your considerable familiarity (and ability to express that familiarity in a way that doesn't lose us). Is it analysis of movies based on books given your considerable love of both? Can we look forward to an in-depth study of the contrast between Joseph Heller's "Catch 22" and Mike Nichols' 1970 movie version of the novel? Gore Vidal's "Myra Beckenridge" versus Michael Sarne's cinematic abortion? And of course the most important thing on everybody's mind: what's on the pipe? :-)<br /><br />BTW, I'm going on record saying that Hollywood Heath Holland will be asked by Patrick and appear on the inevitable "Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves" podcast (next week as a lead-in to the '91 twitter fest?). I mean, look at the book Heath's holding in the picture (not even the real novel but the novelization of the movie!). I really hope Heath comes on the same way Jason did in the "America Pie" podcast: a superfan that has a personal connection with this flick. It'll be such a Chris Farley Show the interwebs will melt (which we could use up here in the East, it's freaking freezing out here).<br /><br />My new-to-me movie for today, 1/24/13:<br /><br />The directing debut of revered avant garde director <b>Jean Vigo, A PROPOS DE NICE (1930) on Blu-ray:</b><br />http://www.dvdverdict.com/juryroom/viewtopic.php?f=50&t=6028&p=74532#p74532J.M. Vargashttp://www.dvdverdict.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-70015102945822138342013-01-25T09:28:48.384-06:002013-01-25T09:28:48.384-06:00I want it to be a regular column - i.e. HHH defend...I want it to be a regular column - i.e. HHH defends <i>The Hobbit</i> in 1500-word essays EVERY week. Let's see how much he REALLY loves this movie.<br /><br />As I said above, I liked it quite a bit, though your complaint is also of my few. I found there was a lot more individual characters to care about in <i>The Lord of the Rings</i> where for me, not being as familiar with the book as Heath, other than the lead dwarf, they all kinda mashed together. I kinda thought one of the dudes looked like Gimli, so it's cool that he is his father, but I basically left the movie feeling like the only characters I cared about were Bilbo, Gandalf and Thorin with the other 12 dwarves being pretty expendable.Sol O.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-3561485338817777122013-01-25T09:04:08.006-06:002013-01-25T09:04:08.006-06:00That’s a great piece HHH; makes me wish I got as m...That’s a great piece HHH; makes me wish I got as much out of the film as you did. I would disagree with you about the dwarves all having their own personality though. I found with the film, much like I did after reading the book, I couldn’t have told you a great deal about most of them, other than to describe their wacky hair or something. I do agree with the central point you make about it being a labour of love for Jackson and I think, like Lucas, he’s just obsessed with getting everything how he sees it in his head and that it’s not necessarily about making boatloads of cash, although of course that’s a nice little bonus too.<br /><br />Is this going to become a regular column?Stuartnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-54796585078833929012013-01-25T01:22:11.298-06:002013-01-25T01:22:11.298-06:00I've never noticed this before, but I just wan...I've never noticed this before, but I just want to say, you have a very awesome mustache.Clint J.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-23220282371072260562013-01-24T22:34:45.273-06:002013-01-24T22:34:45.273-06:00HollywoodHeathHoganHolland-
Nice writeup. I appre...HollywoodHeathHoganHolland-<br /><br />Nice writeup. I appreciate the love you have for this movie, especially since it is definitely getting a chillier reception than LOTR. I've realized that I need to dial back on what I think of this one until I see the rest of them. I still have my issues (Thorin looks too human, Bilbo ascends to bravery far too quickly), but in the interest of fairness, I think some of those might go away upon seeing what the others movies do.Mark Ahnnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-78900854521246142102013-01-24T17:03:24.458-06:002013-01-24T17:03:24.458-06:00I havent seen The Hobbit yet (maybe this weekend a...I havent seen The Hobbit yet (maybe this weekend as it is the cheap movie of the week at my local), so I havent read all of this article yet...but I just wanted to say it is great to see HHH stepping up as a contributor to the site. Im really looking forward to these articles and I love the length. Nothing like a good solid read to look forward to. <br /><br />Also same congrats to Adam Riske too. Good to see the F-Family grow. You're like Hunnicutt and Winchester or Lando and the Emperor, great additions to an already fantastic cast. (I was going to include Scrubs: Med School, or Saved by the Bell: The New Class, but that would have ruined the sincerity of my comment.....but we all know Doug is Screech).Brad Lhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18426952757794850746noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-4860713256521149862013-01-24T16:46:49.845-06:002013-01-24T16:46:49.845-06:00Hmmm! I really like your description of the way pe...Hmmm! I really like your description of the way people go see things now. First an opinion, then a cursory viewing just to validate an opinion that's already been formed. It's so true. Like Patrick's example of John Carter last year. <br /><br />I thought it was really cool to see Elijah Wood in this movie. And while Ian Holm has obviously had some prosthetic work to make him appear the same, Elijah Wood looks like he hasn't aged A DAY, which is just proof that he's an alien. I stayed far away from spoilers for this movie, so when he walked out I nearly peed myself. Okay, I did pee myself, but I'm not proud of it. Yes, sometimes I pee myself. Let's not make a big deal about it. Let's not make a big deal out of the fact that I just peed myself while typing about peeing myself. <br /><br />I hope you feel better soon, buddy.Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-17615804480596162872013-01-24T16:41:56.416-06:002013-01-24T16:41:56.416-06:00I am unironically thrilled that you like The Pagem...I am unironically thrilled that you like The Pagemaster. I wasn't picking on it, I was just having fun with it. I've never even seen it. In fact, my mission statement not just here but with life in general is to enjoy things that you enjoy and not to care what other people think. That's why I love this site and all you guys, and it's what sets this place apart from...everyone else? Okay, maybe not everyone, but it's become so mainstream and "cool" to bash on things and to tear them apart. Every movie is someone's favorite movie. Movies are art, and art is subjective. It takes some big ol' cojones to look down on someone else's personal preferences. It takes a lot to offend me, but judgment over others is a sure fire way to get me riled up. If you ever see me seriously do that, please, call me out. <br /><br />Thanks for the words of support. I very much appreciate it. Heath Hollandhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03802874033845631338noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-78790197191851245762013-01-24T14:15:56.716-06:002013-01-24T14:15:56.716-06:00Wow. Great job, HHH. Wow. Great job, HHH. Michael Pomarohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04209918617642114880noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-75163756507501595892013-01-24T13:08:34.325-06:002013-01-24T13:08:34.325-06:00In the end waiting was the best thing so that Jack...In the end waiting was the best thing so that Jackson could realize he had to have Martin Freeman. :-)Kathynoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-9426097153701955062013-01-24T10:44:26.800-06:002013-01-24T10:44:26.800-06:00Hollywood Heath - nice article! I can barely keep ...Hollywood Heath - nice article! I can barely keep up with all of the new content on the site these days and have been too busy (juggling work and a nasty stomach virus that magically turns everything I eat into pond water - TMI?) to do much commenting, but having just seen <i>The Hobbit</i> this past weekend I wanted to comment here.<br /><br />I really liked it when I was watching it (in spite of a lady behind me emitting a delighted "Hmmm!" EVERY time ANYTHING happened - knock on the door - Hmmm! - open the door to a dwarf - Hmmm! - some artifact revealed - Hmmm! - it was weird but I couldn't be mad because she was having such a good time) and have only grown to like it more as I've thought about it the past few days.<br /><br />The people I've talked about it with, on the other hand, almost completely dismiss it as too much more of the same, which kinda pisses me off because it's another one of those pre-established narratives about a movie that people buy into and build their actual experience around. Remember the outcry when it was revealed that this was going to be a trilogy? What the fuck?! THREE movies out of that one little book? And they're 3 hours each? JESUS! Now I'm going to go watch the movie so I can validate that preconceived notion and, yep, ugh it was SO long and I can't believe I have to go watch more of this and complain about it TWO MORE TIMES. I'll take a theatre full of delighted "Hmmm!"s over that.<br /><br />Your write-up is definitely a help for seeing some of the deeper meaning - I was content with how wonderfully it presents basic themes of comraderie, loyalty and being bigger than you think you can be (size matters not) but to anyone willing to look for it there's so much more to it than that. As so often happens after reading/listening to the essays and podcasts on this site, I appreciate the movie so much more having read yours, especially given that is's not getting the love it deserves.<br /><br />Two quick notes:<br /><br />Am I the only one that damn near choked up when a care-free pre-Ring Frodo ambled in to chat about the festivities with Bilbo? Something about seeing him so completely oblivious to everything he is about to endure really got to me for some reason and I felt that Jackson directed the performance to emphasize that.<br /><br />Regarding the use of parentheses in writing (something I'm also a big fan of) if you really want to see an author take their use to the limit, check out <i>Something Happened</i> by Joseph Heller - the parenthetical asides can go on for pages and I think there are even parentheses within parentheses - fun stuff!<br /><br />P.S. This got too long for me to bother going back and editing - hopefully it's not too rambling!Sol O.noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4217427319662074458.post-57522631468907672532013-01-24T09:23:53.829-06:002013-01-24T09:23:53.829-06:00Nice write-up Heath! I admit that I missed a lot o...Nice write-up Heath! I admit that I missed a lot of the connections between LOTR and The Hobbit when I saw the new movie. I'll give it another try when it hits Blu-Ray. As of now, I much preferred your write-up to the actual experience of watching the movie.<br /><br />And I unironically kind of like The Pagemaster. It's so defiantly not cool and I really dig that.<br /><br />Adamnoreply@blogger.com